Kansas City Red-Light Cams Will Stay Suspended, For Now

Red-light cameras in Kansas City will be suspended for at least a while longer.

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Kansas City's red-light traffic camera program will stay suspended for a while longer.

Before writing a new ordinance, the city is appealing the decision that turned the cameras off to the Missouri Supreme Court.

City Attorney Bill Geary says the legal staff is not only perplexed by two contradictory appeals court decisions, but also concerned that one of them would allow a class action lawsuit against the city by every person who was ticketed at a red-light camera.

"I believe that what we're seeing here... the end result could be a court of appeals decision that discourages creative problem solving, so my office wants to fight this decision," said Geary.

Geary says whether the cameras are legal will depend on whether the high court rules that the traffic fines are criminal proceedings. He says Missouri has traditionally considered all municipal courts to be courts of civil, not criminal law.